Today I acquired a Camponotus colony from a friend. The first thing I noticed is that the workers were noticeably smaller than Camponotus pennsylvanicus, and the queen has an elongated gaster. The colony has 11 workers, 1 pupa, 10 or so tiny larvae, and perhaps a couple eggs? Anyway, the test tube is pretty moldy, yet I am about to hibernate them, and I assume they are waiting until spring prior to moving into a new environment. (they absolutely refuse to move) I am about to hibernate them, in my garage, so I will try to move them next spring, as I am not concerned the mold will harm them during hibernation.

"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

The temperature is climbing into the 40s here, therefore a few workers have began to awaken. Miraculously, the entire colony, brood included, has survived in my garage that day when it was around negative thirty degrees F .

"God made every kind of wild beasts and every kind of livestock and every kind of creeping things;" (including ants) "and God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25

Camponotus are very good at surviving temperatures below 0C. They often nest in decaying logs that are just sitting on the ground. So they can survive with almost no protection from the outside temperature.

Is it not the Camponotus ants that have an anti freeze type of chemical in their blood that allows them to survive on the surface during the winter months or am I getting confused with another species?

Shame not all ants from temperate regions gained that advantage.

Research is important before during and even after you have established a colony. There is always time to learn and to listen to others experiences. Live by this and your ants will thrive. Fail to do so and your experience may be brief.